Children In Middle Earth
by Knife Hand
Summary: Complete The Eva pilots are transported into the world of Middle Earth and are looking for a way home, but some things have changed.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Children In Middle Earth  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: Spoilers up till the eleventh Angel in Eva, no event spoilers for LotR.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings or Neon Genesis Evangelion. I would buy them but I am broke.  
  
Summary: The Eva pilots are transported into the world of Middle Earth and are looking for a way home, but some things have changed.  
  
AN: Just to clarify in this I am ignoring the whole 'Rei is a clone' thing. She is the original and she bears no relation to Shinji whatsoever.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What the hell is this test for, anyway?" Asuka demanded.  
  
The three Eva pilots were walking down the street, in their school uniforms, heading for the closest Geo-front access point.  
  
"Dr. Akagi said it was to monitor the harmonics directly from our bodies." Rei answered in her usual monotone.  
  
"NAKED!" Asuka screamed, slightly deafening Shinji who was walking between her and Rei.  
  
The group walked on for a few more minutes in silence. Asuka was fuming, Shinji was trying to escape into his own world and Rei was being her usual quiet self. After rounding a corner the group was hit by what seemed to be lighting from nowhere. Shinji saw Rei fall unconscious on one side and Asuka kneeling with her head clutched in her hands on the other before the world tilted and he was consumed by darkness.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Shinji's eyes opened to an unfamiliar scene. He was staring up at the bluest sky he had ever seen, without a cloud in sight. He could see the branches of trees, mostly above his head in his horizontal position. He heard none of the regular city noises, instead he heard birds, the whistling of the wind through the trees, rustling to either side of him, mix with the rhythmic breathing of sleep, and a slight crackling, which he concluded was a fire when he smelt wood smoke. Besides the wood smoke, Shinji smelt fresh earth, cold meat and, what part of his brain recognised as, the smell of travellers. When Shinji sat up and looked around he received a massive shock. There was indeed a fire and the leftovers of a meal, roast rabbit, but the shock came from his company.  
  
To his left, where Rei had been, lay a familiar woman that he had never seen before. She was a beautiful woman in her late twenties, around twenty- eight. She had the look of one both graceful and strong. She was dressed in leather leggings and a cotton blouse, with sturdy boots, a leather tunic and a bow obvious among her belongings. He body was lean and well toned with a leather headband keeping her loose, shoulder length hair out of her eyes.  
  
To his right, in place of Asuka, lay another familiar but unknown woman. Also about twenty-eight years old, she could be described as stunningly beautiful, with a sense of strength and confidence radiating off her sleeping form. About a foot taller than the other woman, she wore a similar outfit, however a worn breastplate, shield and a large, one-handed broadsword lay among her belonging and no bow was in sight. Her body was well defined and muscled which, combined with her looks, made her seem to be a warrior-noble, beauty in the midst of death. Her hair, which reached the bottom of her shoulder blades, was kept in a ponytail.  
  
The thing about his companions that shocked Shinji was their hair; the woman on the left had pale blue hair, while the woman on the right had auburn red hair. As impossible as it seemed, the two women were Asuka and Rei. Shinji, realising that only a few seconds had passed since he had sat up, decided to look through his belongings. Most of the items were standard travel equipment, instantly identified by part of Shinji's mind, which ranged from spare clothes and travel rations to tinder and shaving kits. Shinji felt a strange sense of familiarity and confidence associated with the weapons among his gear, which consisted of a Katana style, two- handed sword, a bow, with arrows, and a large knife. Shinji noticed Asuka and Rei begin to stir as they awoke, and hung the leftover rabbit over the flames to heat up.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Rei opened her eyes and looked around the campsite. She quickly absorbed the unfamiliar surroundings, accurately surmising that the other members of the camp were her fellow pilots. Asuka had also just awoken and was taking longer to deal with the scene, so Rei turned her attention to Shinji, who was sitting by the fire. He looked about twenty-eight and was of average height for a Japanese male, bout half a foot shorter than Asuka and half a foot taller than herself. He was ruggedly handsome, with a lean, muscular build that was well toned. He moved with deadly grace and self-assurance.  
  
Dressed in sturdy boots, lather pants, cotton shirt and a leather tunic, his hair was short at the front but covered his neck at the back and clean shaven. Rei's attention shifted from Shinji to what was roasting over the fire, and she discovered that, somehow, she had lost her dislike of eating meat, so she went to the fire to get breakfast.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?!" Asuka demanded.  
  
They all stoped dead. Asuka had not spoken Japanese, she had not spoken any language that they were familiar with, but they had all understood her. Part of their minds named the language as 'Common'. The name had come from the part that had told them all the things they knew without knowing about this place and their gear; it had also identified, to each of them, their friends in their new bodies, subconsciously.  
  
They moved around the campsite efficiently, Rei working with the grace and precision of a dancer, Asuka with the directness and economy of motion of a construction worker and Shinji moved with the grace and economy of motion of a veteran yacht sailor. They had begun packing up camp, as much to keep their minds off this place and their new knowledge as any other reason. The campsite was located in a clearing, surrounded by a ring of tall deciduous trees, covered with the new growth of late spring.  
  
A road was located about a hundred meters to one side of the camp and there was a small, fresh water stream just on the edge of the site on the other side. The layers of soot lining the fire pit indicated that the site had been used, on and off, for many years, if not generations, by travellers. It was about two hours after dawn, the group having eaten and packed, when they heard a voice, they were just sitting down to discuss what to do next.  
  
"Ho, the fire." the voice called from the road, in common.  
  
"Ho, the road." Shinji replied in kind. "Welcome to our fire."  
  
The man who walked towards the fire was old, with long grey hair and beard. His pointed hat and cloak were also grey, and he carried a long gnarled staff. His deep blue eyes, however, had wisdom, strength and intensity that are generally absent in the elderly.  
  
"My name is Gandalf the Grey." The old man said formally.  
  
"I am Shinji Ikari, this is Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Sohryu." Shinji replied gesturing to his companions. "You are welcome at our fire, sit and relax."  
  
Gandalf sat on a log by the fire and looked at the strangers.  
  
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Asuka asked, in Japanese so Gandalf could not understand them.  
  
"We need to know about this place, how we got here and how to get home, if we can. I think he can help." Shinji replied, also in Japanese.  
  
Gandalf looked interested in the trio when they turned back to face him, as they spoke a language he had never heard in Middle Earth.  
  
"We are lost. Would you, please, be able to help us find a place where we can find a way to get home?" Rei asked quietly, in common.  
  
Gandalf smiled slightly, he sensed no ill intentions from these strangers, and in some way they reminded him of the Hobbits of the Shire. Courteous, slow to anger, disliking of violence but ready to fight if need be and welcoming, but wary, of strangers. (AN: from now on, unless stated, all conversation will proceed in common.)  
  
"I am on my way to see the Elves at Rivendell. Perhaps Elrond will be able to assist you." Gandalf said. "We should make it by nightfall if we leave now."  
  
Within five minutes everyone was ready to go, with cloaks on, packs on their backs, Asuka's shield on hers as well, and they headed down the road towards Rivendell. The day passed uneventfully and near dusk they crossed the ford, and proceeded to the valley of Rivendell. Rivendell itself was beautiful, with spacious, arched buildings that incorporated and complemented the natural elements of the valley. The inhabitants of Rivendell were almost as captivating a scene as the valley itself.  
  
The Elves were tall, graceful and friendly, all the men were handsome and the women were beautiful. Behind the surface beauty of the Elves was strength of character and the deep wisdom of those who live thorough the ages of the world. Walking through Rivendell in the early evening was an awe-inspiring sight to Shinji, Asuka and Rei. The entire valley was lit with thousands of lamps and candles, hanging from the branches of every tree, along every balcony and even from the eves of the buildings. Firelight spilt out from the windows, warm and inviting.  
  
The travellers were ushered into the great hall for dinner where they were met by Elrond and his daughter Arwen. Elrond was wise and exuded a sense of healing and confidence, while Arwen, young and stunningly beautiful, was friendly, devoted and kind. Elrond, the half-elf lord, and the Elven princess, Arwen, sat confidently at the head of the long table. The table seated many Elves, a few humans in green outfits, and a single old hobbit, surrounded by dwarves and men, dressed differently from the men in green. After the meal, Shinji, Asuka and Rei were shown to their rooms.  
  
The three rooms were adjacent and all had access to a single, segmented balcony. The rooms themselves were spacious, with large a single large bed, a large closet and en-suite. Shinji had a quick look over his rooms, placed his belonging in the closet and walked out onto his section of the balcony. The balcony provided a spectacular view, looking out over the lantern lit valley, showing gardens, lawns, parks and Elves wandering and singing throughout the valley. The singing provided soothing background noise, even though Shinji could not make out the words and the tune was like nothing he had ever heard before.  
  
Shinji's entrance to the balcony was close to the partition to Rei's balcony section, and she was leaning on the banister with a far away look on her face, troubled and peaceful at the same time. Rei was standing not a dozen feet from Shinji and she was totally oblivious of his presence.  
  
"Copper for your thoughts." Shinji said, paraphrasing an old saying (or new saying depending how you look at it).  
  
Startled for a second, Rei looking around at the sound of the voice, relaxed when she saw Shinji. Her eyes looked lost, confused and, oddly, hopeful.  
  
"I'm worried. Wondering what is happening at home, what if an Angel attacked? At the same time, I wonder what could happen here, if we could start a new life, yet this place seems as violent as home, just in a different way." Rei said, sighing. (AN: I know this is not like Rei, talking this much, but she also has the memories of Middle Earth Rei. That's my excuse anyway.)  
  
"I know what you mean, but this place is different from home. Here we have a choice; we are no-one's puppet. Here we can all look after ourselves. Asuka always could, sometimes she was a cast iron bitch, but I still want to protect both of you, you two and Misato are my family. Here we may end up serving someone, but we can choose who.  
  
"There is an old saying that goes 'the only difference between a free man and a slave, is that the free man choses who and how he serves'. I don't pretend to know why we are here, maybe for a new life, maybe to learn something to fight the Angels, maybe both. What I do know is that for some reason we were sent here, and that implies a purpose. For the moment it does not matter, we are safe here with the Elves. Sleep Rei. We can worry about this in the morning." Shinji told Rei.  
  
"Thank you, Shinji." Rei said before going back into her room.  
  
Shinji stared out over Rivendell for a few seconds before returning to his room also. At the far end of Shinji's balcony section, Asuka emerged from the shadows having heard the entire conversation.  
  
"I hope you are right, Shinji. I hope there is a purpose to this." Asuka whispered before returning to her room.  
  
********  
  
The sunlight shone through the window, spilling across the floor and the bed and creeping into the closed eyes of the slumbering occupant of the room. Shinji's eyes slowly opened, stimulated by the sunlight. Shinji quickly dressed in the clothes provided, leggings, shirt, vest, coat and boots. He did not bother donning a cloak. They had been in Rivendell several weeks now, with Lord Elrond and other elves searching their archives for a possible way to get them home.  
  
Meanwhile they had been learning, almost remembering, how to survive in Middle Earth such as weaponry, horse riding, tracking, hunting, geography, politics, history, a million topics that once explained seemed like second nature to them. Shinji grabbed his bow and quiver, strapping the quiver around his waist. He was on his way down to the archery range to practice with Rei when he saw Asuka. Asuka was dressed in a beautiful red, off the shoulder, dress, and her were movements graceful. The sight drew Shinji into memories that he, as far as he knew, had never experienced.  
  
  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Almost since the day that hey had been born, Shinji, Asuka and Rei had been friends, as were their parents. They had grown up together and always played games that they were off on adventures. At the age of seven, their village had burned to the ground with few survivors; unfortunately their parents were not among the survivors.  
  
Asuka's mother had been sick when the fire had struck, with her father and Rei's father perishing in an attempt to save her mother. Rei and Shinji's mothers had died at Shinji's house due to the fact that Shinji's mother was pregnant. Shinji's father had died, before Shinji's house had caught fire, saving children from other houses, including Shinji, Asuka and Rei.  
  
After that they had moved to another village and trained as adventurers/warriors, choosing early which weapons suited them, the same weapons they carried now. At the age of sixteen they left to begin their adventures. After a year of travelling, and very few adventures, they found themselves at New Laketown and the annual celebration of the defeat of Smaug the Dragon. The elders of Laketown had presented them with clothes for the celebration, Shinji receiving finely embroidered clothes similar to his travelling clothes but of much better quality.  
  
Asuka and Rei, however received beautiful dresses for the celebration. Asuka's was a flowing red gown that went well with her auburn hair, with a low-cut neckline, it was slightly formfitting to the waist, supported by tie straps at the shoulders and then flowing freely below the waist. Around her neck was blue ribbon, worn like a choker, which matched her eyes. Rei's dress was a light purple colour with spaghetti straps and flowed naturally with slight pleating. The dress was simple yet elegant.  
  
That was the first time that Shinji saw them as women and not the little girls he had grown up with. That night he danced with both of them, beneath the stars that shone on the town on the water. The intermittent light of the torches and cooking fires gave an almost ethereal feel to parts of the celebration. On that night he fell even more in love with the companion that had unwittingly and unknowingly stolen his heart.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
  
  
"Hey, Shinji. You in there?" Asuka asked, waving her hand in front of his face.  
  
"Sorry Asuka. Just thinking about eleven years ago. That celebration at New Laketown. You were wearing a similar dress." Shinji replied.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Asuka said, and then she looked at the dress and recognition flooded over her face. "Oh yah. I remember that. Now that's creepy. Two sets of memories."  
  
Shinji nodded before heading off to the archery range.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Shinji sat staring at the campfire. They were three days ride south, their horses moved at a quick walk during the day, and they had almost another forty days travel before they reached the gap of Rohan. It had been decided, after an exhaustive search of the Elven libraries, that the Elves did not have the knowledge to get them home.  
  
It was suggested that they ride south to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, to see if there were any answers in the libraries there. They were being lead by Aragorn, a northern Ranger whom they had met at Rivendell. It was fairly late in the evening, perhaps ten o'clock. Asuka and Aragorn were asleep, exhausted after the sword training session Aragorn had given Asuka earlier. Rei had been in her beadroll but she could not sleep so she had joined Shinji by the fire.  
  
"Do you find it weird Rei?" Shinji asked, not looking away from the fire.  
  
"What?" came her soft response.  
  
"The dual memories. Here and Home." Shinji sated.  
  
"Yes, but it also brings comfort. Another way my life could have gone." She replied.  
  
"True. It gets confusing sometimes. Like I know I can not swim, yet I remember you teaching me on my seventh birthday, you'd been swimming since we were three. That's another thing that confuses me. You."  
  
"Me?" Rei asked, genuinely surprised.  
  
"Yes, you. I have twenty-eight years of memories of living with you, but I know next to nothing about you. Not the real you anyway, not the you from home." Shinji said.  
  
"Why do you want to know about me?" Rei inquired.  
  
"Because. Because I want us to at least be friends. Because I want to know if I can really love you they way I do in those memories." Shinji replied honestly, looking into Rei's eyes.  
  
Rei stared into the fire for a while, thinking.  
  
"In your memories, you really loved me?" Rei asked.  
  
"Yes." Shinji said.  
  
To this, Rei just smiled. That night, Shinji and Rei stayed up talking, about their Middle Earth memories and their lives in Tokyo 3. They got no sleep that night and they were still talking when the sun rose. Despite the lack of sleep they felt refreshed when the camp was packed up and the group started the trek south. Full life stories and total trust were still to come, but they had broken the ice and, for the moment, that was all that mattered.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Children In Middle Earth  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: Spoilers up till the eleventh Angel in Eva, no event spoilers for LotR.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings or Neon Genesis Evangelion. I would buy them but I am broke.  
  
Summary: The Eva pilots are transported into the world of Middle Earth and are looking for a way home, but some things have changed.  
  
AN: Just to clarify in this I am ignoring the whole 'Rei is a clone' thing. She is the original and she bears no relation to Shinji whatsoever.  
  
AN2: Another clarification, the events in this story occur between the great birthday party of Bilbo and Frodo and the beginning of the actual quest, when Frodo leaves the Shire, as described in The Fellowship of the Ring book, a period of 17 years. The Children arrive in ME three years after the party.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
The journey south, along the Misty Mountains, was relatively uneventful but interesting, in ways apart from the beautiful scenery. The biggest changes happened internally, as Shinji, Asuka and Rei's psyche melded their two divergent personalities, the one from Tokyo 3 and the one from Middle Earth. The changes in personality that resulted from this melding were noticeable but not extreme, as the underlying personalities in both seats of memories were identical, only differentiated by differing experiences.  
  
Because of these changes, Rei became more open and less introverted, although she would still be considered by others to be very shy and reserved, she would talk to Shinji and/or Asuka about her thoughts and feelings. Shinji became more assertive and while he would rather avoid a fight, he would no longer consider running away or apologising as a first response, instead sticking up for himself and his friends. Asuka's new psyche was less aggressive, no longer forcing confrontations or lashing out at those she considered weak or who saved or helped her in some way. In short they had all become more mentally well rounded, while still being themselves.  
  
Shinji, Asuka and Rei spent the remaining thirty-seven days to the Gap of Rohan and the several day trek across the grasslands of Rohan talking, discovering themselves and learning about the others. During that trip, they found out more about their fellow 'pilots' that they had ever learnt in Tokyo 3, even when living with them.  
  
They all found that they had a lot in common, besides being Eva Pilots. All three had experienced difficult childhoods, being deprived of at least one parent, actually the all had at least one dead, both for Rei, but Shinji and Asuka were essentially deprived of their fathers as well.  
  
Another thing that they all had in common was the fact that they were consummate geniuses. While Asuka had clung to her status as geniuses and Eva pilot like a lifeline, Rei was quietly focused on applying her talents to whatever her Commander wanted her to do, and Shinji, believing himself useless by the neglect of his father and his desire to be normal, hid his innate talents from himself and the world.  
  
Their new personalities, due to the memories from Middle Earth, did not suffer from these hindrances. Asuka no longer needed social praise, because she remembered true friendship from Shinji and Rei; Rei did not need to be directed in her objectives for the three of them had been making their own decisions for years; and Shinji no longer felt useless or the need to hide, based on the memories of brave acts and people making him feel needed.  
  
By the time Aragorn went on his own way, within sight of Minas Tirith, The White City, Capital of Gondor, home of the vacant throne of the King of Men, the three former Eva Pilots knew each other so well that they could predict each other's movements and they were the best of friends. Shinji had rediscovered his love for Rei and she had started to reciprocate those feelings, however they decided to take it slowly.  
  
Asuka, Shinji and Rei presented themselves to the gate, requesting audience with the Steward of Gondor and presenting a letter provided by Gandalf. They were escorted through the beautiful city to the chambers of the Steward of Gondor, giving up their weaponry before entering.  
  
When they entered they saw Denethor, the Steward of Gondor flanked by his two sons. Denethor was a strong, middle aged man with dark hair, his eldest son, Boromir, was approximately twenty six years old with dark hair like his father. Faramir, however, had blond hair and a confident, without being arrogant, stance, despite his young age, only twenty-one. Shinji, Asuka and Rei all kneeled before the three men.  
  
"Lord. We request the use of you great library. Our situation is outlined in this letter." Shinji said, offering the letter that Gandalf had given them.  
  
Boromir stepped forward and claimed the letter, passing it to his father. Faramir seemed to watch impassively, however Rei noticed that his eyes occasionally moved to Asuka and Shinji noticed that Asuka would also glance at Faramir.  
  
"It says that you may be here for some time." Denethor commented after a few minutes.  
  
"Yes, sir. We are searching for a way home, however for as long as we are here we will act as citizens of Gondor." Asuka replied.  
  
"Very well, you are welcome in Gondor." Denethor responded  
  
"Father? With your permission I volunteer to show our guests to the Library and to arrange accommodation." Faramir stated.  
  
Denethor simply nodded his head in consent before Faramir lead Asuka, Shinji and Rei out of the audience chamber, retrieving their weaponry as they passed.  
  
  
  
********  
  
"Ahh. This is useless!" Asuka screamed.  
  
The trio had been searching through the library for eighteen hours a day for the last month, generally only stoping to eat and sleep. The library was so enormous, holding well over three thousand years of history, that they had barely scratched the surface.  
  
"It will take us years to go through all this." Asuka continued.  
  
"I agree. I think we should moderate out time in the library." Rei replied.  
  
"Yah. We need to exercise as well." Shinji contributed.  
  
The trio made their way out of the library and over to the practice yard. Retrieving their practice weapons, wooden replica of their real weapons, they started to spar. Shinji spared with Rei while Asuka spared with Boromir, which was oddly fitting as they used the same weapons. Some of the guards laughed when they saw Rei with two knives facing off against Shinji with his Katana.  
  
When one of the troops started a betting pool on the sparing match, Both Shinji and Rei, without stopping their sparing, called out bets for Asuka while the redhead call out a bet for a draw between Shinji and Rei. Shinji's longer reach and speed offset Rei's dexterity and aerobic attacks while her quick hands fended off his longer weapon. Boromir and Asuka spared with their one-handed swords and shields. While Boromir was stronger, Asuka was faster and more aggressive.  
  
After a few minutes Asuka, after forcing Boromir back by a series of fast and intrusive attacks, managed to disarm him, this winning the match. To his credit, Boromir had managed to actually make contact with Asuka, something that few people could do and the reason she had attacked so vehemently, but they were not serious blows. After twenty minutes Shinji and Rei also stoped sparing, calling a draw, both having scored some superficial hits but nothing serious.  
  
They were the only ones collecting money from the betting pool, with the exception of Faramir who had bet on Asuka for reasons of his own. Two things resulted from this demonstration. The first was that Shinji, Asuka and Rei were offered places training a small number of arms men for Denethor with complete autonomy on training methods. The second thing was that the trio decided to get a life. They stoped spending all their time in the library and began to do other things.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Asuka, Faramir, Shinji and Rei were leading their detachment back through the gates of Minas Tirith after a patrol of the borders of Mordor. They were pleased that they had not lost any troops on this outing. It had been about two years since Shinji, Asuka and Rei had given that little demonstration that had impressed the guards and since then their ranks had grown from the small force that they had been given, although it was still a very small portion of the military of Gondor.  
  
The four of them were an amazing military command team. Asuka was superb at knowing where and when to strike with a large force to break an enemy, and she was also brilliant at forming overall strategies. Rei was able to lay the most ingenious and disruptive traps, she knew how to utilise the land to their advantage and would use archers at key moments during battles that would be decisive.  
  
Shinji was a tactical genius and was able to use small forces in surgical strikes that had amazing results. Unusually, Shinji fought and commanded best when he or another part of the force was in trouble and had often turned almost defeat into victory. Faramir, while not as good, was able to command like the three pilots combined could. Laying traps, overall strategy, surgical strikes, knowledge of what units to use when, he could do it all, just not as well.  
  
The two years had not been spent solely on military matters, however. There was romance in the air. Shinji and Rei had been seriously dating for almost eighteen months and were considered to be an ideal couple by the populus of Minas Tirith, as were Asuka and Faramir who had also been dating. When the group reached the keep they dismissed the soldiers.  
  
"Who's up for dinner?" Shinji asked with a smile.  
  
"Are you cooking?" Asuka said with mock disgust.  
  
"I'm hurt. I thought you liked my cooking. You never complained about it when I cooked all you meals because we were living together." Shinji responded with a smirk.  
  
"What?!?" Faramir said.  
  
"Fourteen. Had a guardian. Nothing happened." Asuka stated.  
  
"That is correct." Rei said, ending the byplay.  
  
"Oh." Faramir said, relieved.  
  
"Anyway. I was thinking of going to a restaurant in the city." Shinji said.  
  
To this everyone quickly agreed.  
  
The night was enjoyed by all. The food was excellent and the candle light gave it a romantic feel, yet this did not hamper the easy conversation that went on, covering a range of topics from their recent patrol to the latest rumours. A big surprise, for all except one, came at the end of the night, after dessert. Shinji stood, kneeled before Rei and said something shocking.  
  
"Rei, will you marry me?"  
  
  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Children In Middle Earth  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: Spoilers up till the eleventh Angel in Eva, no event spoilers for LotR.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings or Neon Genesis Evangelion. I would buy them but I am broke.  
  
Summary: The Eva pilots are transported into the world of Middle Earth and are looking for a way home, but some things have changed.  
  
AN: Just to clarify in this I am ignoring the whole 'Rei is a clone' thing. She is the original and she bears no relation to Shinji whatsoever.  
  
AN2: Another clarification, the events in this story occur between the great birthday party of Bilbo and Frodo and the beginning of the actual quest, when Frodo leaves the Shire, as described in The Fellowship of the Ring book, a period of 17 years. The Children arrive in ME three years after the party.  
  
AN3: Hey, what's going on people? Seriously of the lacking in the Review department. Come on. I need encouragement. Plus I'm already working on the sequel so I got to know if this is good.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"Lose!" Rei called out.  
  
A rain of arrows arched through the evening sky towards the collum of Orcs. As the deadly missiles flew, Shinji, Rei and the other archers nocked new arrows to their bowstrings and loosed another volley of arrows as the first descended.  
  
The Orcish collum broke at the surprise attack and ran for the trees on the far side of the road and safety. Or so they thought. Just as they reached the trees, Asuka and Faramir lead their troops out of the trees, their swords cutting through the Orcs. As the offensive drove back the surprised Orcs, Shinji and Rei lead their archers out of the trees on their side of the road.  
  
The archers had switched from their bows to their melee weapons and they charged into the back of the Orcs. Shinji stayed near Rei, his fiancé, calmly moving through the forms with his Katana, Orcs falling with the slash of his blade. Rei danced, a deadly dance as she cut, blocked and dodged using her knives, her movements graceful and almost soothing to watch.  
  
The warriors of Gondor gained the upper hand fairly quickly, despite the fact that they were still outnumbered. The Orcs, shocked at the brutal destruction of their comrades felt demoralised and defeated, thus many broke and ran from the battle. While many ran, a fair number of the Orcs did not. In the confusion of battle, it is sometimes funny what one notices, Shinji for one noticed that one of the Orcs that had cut and ran had stoped, it had its bow drawn and an arrow ready to loose.  
  
Shinji tracked the path that the arrow would take and it lead to Rei, who was facing another direction fighting two Orcs, and winning. Shinji, who was slightly separated from Rei, began to fight his way towards her, hacking through Orcs. As the arrow was loosed time seemed to slow for Shinji and he kept track of the arrow, knowing that he must stop it before it hit Rei. Running through a final Orc, Shinji took one more step, brining him face to face with Rei, who had just turned around.  
  
Shinji smiled, knowing he had beaten the arrow, and for a second Rei smiled back, then her eyes drifted down and Shinji felt a sharp pain in his chest. The force of the arrow caused Shinji to spin to his left, as it had entered his right side. An archer had also seen to Orc and had taken it down with an arrow to the throat.  
  
Shinji dropped to his knees, he knew that people were talking to him but all he could hear was a buzz. He felt a sharp pain in the wound and realised that someone had broken off the arrow, and then he was eased backwards into what seemed to be someone's lap. Looking up he saw crimson red eyes and pale, ice blue hair and knew it was Rei. Her mouth was moving but he could not hear the words but she seemed to be saying 'Don't leave me." Strangely no one seemed to be fighting, Shinji guessed that the battle must be over and idly wonder if they won before he was claimed by the darkness of unconsciousness.  
  
********  
  
Rei trust her knife into the neck of the Orc, severing its artery and causing it to bleed to death, like its fellow lying beside it. Hearing something moving behind her, she turned and came face to face with a smiling Shinji. Instinctively she smiled back at her beloved, and then she noticed an arrow had punctured his light chain mail armour on his right side, causing him to spin around and drop to his knees.  
  
She looked around quickly, seeing the offending Orc fall, Asuka and Faramir were killing the last of the remaining Orcs. Rei dropped to he knees and examined the wound, luckily the arrow had missed his lungs and other vital organs.  
  
"Hold on, Shinji. This will hurt." She said to him before snapping of the back of the arrow.  
  
"Asuka, Get over here. Shinji's hurt." Rei called, lowering him into her lap and looking into his blue eyes.  
  
Rei whispered reassurances to Shinji even after his eyes closed.  
  
"What happened?" Asuka asked when she reached them.  
  
"He took an arrow for me." Rei sobbed.  
  
Asuka, seeing that Rei would be of no real help at the moment, took charge. Using the glowing embers of a stick, from the fire they had made to burn the Orc bodies, Asuka cauterised the wound after pulling the arrow out of Shinji.  
  
Sending Shinji, Rei and another soldier back to Minas Tirith on the horses of the two messengers who had arrived in the last forty-eight hours, Rei and Shinji riding double so that she could support him, Asuka and Faramir broke the rest of the troops into small groups to head back to a hideout.  
  
  
  
********  
  
"I don't understand. Why not?" Faramir asked heatedly.  
  
Asuka and Faramir were in a secluded area of the hideout, away from the other troops.  
  
"Look, I love you. I love you more that I have ever loved anything in my entire life, but I can't. Not the way things are." Asuka replied.  
  
"What's wrong with how things are?"  
  
"Don't you get it?" Asuka demanded. "I'm not from here, and one day I'm going to have to go home, or the world I come from will be totally destroyed. What I face there is more dangerous than the entire of Mordor and only Shinji, Rei and myself can face it. I love you so much, but I can not and will not bring myself to leave the man I marry, so I either marry you and let a world die, or I don't hand have the chance to save it."  
  
"I think I understand."  
  
"No. I don't think you do. If I marry you, my heart won't let me go and my pride won't let me stay. No matter what I do, it'll kill me. This way I'll survive. It will hurt like hell losing you, but I will survive." Asuka said, before leaving Faramir alone with his thoughts.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Rei's eyes lifted from the book she was reading, and moved to Shinji, laying on the bed. He was covered to the shoulders with a white sheet and his exposed skin was slightly pale, but he was quickly recovering. Despite the battlefield treatment that Asuka had performed, cauterising the wound, Shinji had still gotten an infection, which was subsiding now, after five days.  
  
Rei's eyes flittered over the window, showing a breathtaking view of the city, before she went back to reading. Rei was surrounded by books; some which now lay abandoned were novels of adventures, which she could not get into because of her worry for Shinji. The book she was currently reading was research on how to get home, something that they had practically abandoned two years prior.  
  
Rei ignored everything except the book and Shinji, not noticing when the healers came to check on him. As the sun began to set, exhausted from spending the day worrying, Rei laid down the book and crawled into the bed, next to Shinji. Curling up next to him, Rei felt his body relax a little. She felt safe and carefree lying next to him and she drifted quickly off to sleep. Subsequently she missed the trumpet call that sounded a few minutes later as a collum of weary soldiers entered the city, lead by a fiery redheaded woman and the youngest son of the Steward of Gondor.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Shinji awoke to feel a pressure on his chest. His injury was healing, as was the infection that had accompanied it, but he was still feeling weak. Looking down, he saw Rei, her head on the uninjured side of his chest, looking amazingly beautiful as she slept. Looking around he saw that he was back in his, their, room in Minas Tirith. Feeling Rei stir, Shinji looked down and saw her soulful red eyes open.  
  
"Morning sleepyhead." He joked.  
  
"You're awake." She said with schoolgirl enthusiasm.  
  
Shinji simply nodded, looking into her eyes and Rei smiled.  
  
'Maybe everything will be ok. I know it will, as long as I have Rei.' Shinji thought before they both dropped back off to sleep.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Children In Middle Earth  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: Spoilers up till the eleventh Angel in Eva, no event spoilers for LotR.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings or Neon Genesis Evangelion. I would buy them but I am broke.  
  
Summary: The Eva pilots are transported into the world of Middle Earth and are looking for a way home, but some things have changed.  
  
AN: Just to clarify in this I am ignoring the whole 'Rei is a clone' thing. She is the original and she bears no relation to Shinji whatsoever.  
  
AN2: Another clarification, the events in this story occur between the great birthday party of Bilbo and Frodo and the beginning of the actual quest, when Frodo leaves the Shire, as described in The Fellowship of the Ring book, a period of 17 years. The Children arrive in ME three years after the party.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Asuka lay back on her bed. She was in her quarters in Minas Tirith, which she had not visited in over six months. She was thinking about the fight that she and Faramir had on the other side of the river.  
  
Their relatioship had started well, to Asuka's surprise. After the training demonstration, Faramir had spent the next few weeks with Asuka, Shinji and Rei, showing them around and getting them accustomed to life as a citizen of Gondor. They all had gotten to know Faramir and had found him good company. After those first few weeks, Faramir had asked Asuka out to dinner and to her surprise, Asuka was flattered. Back in Tokyo 3, Asuka would have shot down any attempt at a date instantly and as cruelly as possible, partly on principle but mostly because of fear. She was afraid that if she let anyone get close, then they would leave her like her parents had.  
  
She had matured a lot since then and as a result she had accepted Faramir's offer. Faramir had not pushed at all, and they had enjoyed a pleasant evening out in the third ring of the city. One of the interesting things about Minas Tirith was that the city had seven walls, and the gates were designed so that no two lined up on the rout to the citadel. The citizens had designated the sections as 'rings' and they were unofficially numbered stating from the outer walls.  
  
As time passed, things had become more serious, not only between Asuka and Faramir, but also between Shinji and Rei. The four of them had practically began living together, although they had all stayed in their own quarters at the time, it was rare for you to see any of the group without at least one other present. Most of their time was spent training their special unit, but they could often be seen going out socially, either as a group or as couples and the couples had grown more comfortable and intimate as time went on.  
  
Six months ago, Asuka moved in with Faramir's quarters, however they were not 'intimate' for a while, up until two months ago, actually the night before Shinji proposed to Rei, as they wanted to build their relationship first. Things had been going great, and then Faramir had asked her to marry him. It was as she had told him, if things were different she would marry him in a second but as things stood, she could not marry him. She would love him till the day she died, but she could not do that to him, or herself.  
  
********  
  
Faramir sat alone in his room trying to think what he had done wrong and why Asuka was so upset at him asking for her hand. Then it hit him, she was completely serious! He had always known that Asuka, Shinji and Rei were different, special, especially Asuka, by he had never believed that their crazy story of alternate dimensions and such was real. He had always assumed that they were on a secret mission for Gandalf or the Elves and that story was a cover to fool Souron's forces.  
  
He had managed to get most of the story that he had thought was a cover from the three of them, but this new revelation brought things into sharp focus. Asuka was right, she was from a different world and he knew her well enough to know that is she left after marrying him, it would kill her. Faramir grabbed his coat and sword out of habit more than anything before he left his quarters on his way to Asuka's. He had to apologise to the woman he loved.  
  
  
  
********  
  
Shinji and Rei sat quietly in one of the beautiful gardens in the citadel of Minas Tirith. Rei was leaning with her back against Shinji's chest with his arms wrapped gently around her pregnant mid section. It had been a little over four years since they had arrived in Middle Earth, about twenty two months since Shinji had taken that arrow for Rei. Things had been fairly quiet for the couple since that incident. Asuka and Faramir had made up from their fight, with Faramir finally accepting that he could not marry Asuka, however everyone treated them as a married couple but never mentioned the slight technical oversight.  
  
After Shinji's injury the four Captains of Gondor were assigned to train special troops that would patrol the Ithilien, the far side of the river up to the mountains that formed the borders of Mordor, using their current troops as a core and recruiting from families that lived in the Ithilien. To bring them together, and for camouflage reasons, all the 'rangers', as they were dubbed, were dressed in forest green, from boots and gloves to cloaks and masks (from the books). The rangers were trained in archery as well as swordsmanship, they were also taught tracking, hunting, ambush tactics, stealth, and guerrilla tactics. Everything needed to fight in wooded and jungle terrain against any enemy.  
  
Six months after they began training the new troops, Shinji and Rei got married. It was a grand affair that everyone in Minas Tirith wished to attend and was presided over by Denethor himself. The after part would certainly be remembered, as everyone had such bad hangovers that for two days the entire city would not have been able to resist an attack by one sickly orc and a pissed off housefly. Minor celebrations and other weddings continued for almost a week afterwards.  
  
Two months after the wedding, Faramir was sent on a tour of Gondor to check on defences and possible levies, and naturally Asuka accompanied him, with the tour lasting about eight months. While Asuka and Faramir were on their tour of southern Gondor, Shinji and Rei, along with the rangers, were stationed at Usgiliath, the city that spaned the Anduin, the Great River, with Boromir in command. The rangers were easy to distinguish from the regular troops at Usgiliath as they wore their green uniforms with pride, as opposed to the burnished and shining plate mail armour of the regular troops. The rangers had made several successful ambush raids into the Ithilien but they were limited and after five months they returned to Minas Tirith due to an unexpected illness in Rei Ikari.  
  
Three months later, when Asuka and Faramir returned, it was revealed that Asuka had also been suffering from similar symptoms to Rei. They were both pregnant. That had been almost six months ago and both were expecting within days.  
  
Half asleep in the bright sunlit garden, Shinji soaked in the radiance that was Rei and how right it felt just to hold her. Rei's eyes were closed and there was a slight smile on her face, which is the equivalent of a wild grin on anybody else. Shinji felt it at the same time as Rei did, having his hand on her abdomen. Rei's eyes opened and the slight smile faded. With Shinji's help Rei got to her feet and they moved at a fair pace towards the nearest midwife.  
  
"It's time." Shinji said as the entered the midwife's house.  
  
Attendants came and escorted Rei into the interior of the house. Relaxing slightly, Shinji turned and noticed that Faramir was sitting in the corner.  
  
"Asuka's time?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Yes. I brought her in a little over three hours ago." Faramir responded.  
  
"Look on the bright side. Both the babies will have the same birthday, so we only have to have the one party." Shinji said with a mocking smile.  
  
  
  
********  
  
The four new parents sat in a common room playing with their children. Six months ago Rei had given birth to a healthy baby boy, which she named Trowa, in memory of her father from Tokyo 3, while Asuka had given birth to twins. The girl had been called Misato, after Asuka and Shinji's guardian back home, while the boy had been named Daniel, although everyone called him Danny, by Faramir, who never gave a reason just saying that he liked the name. Rei sat in one of the single seater lounge chairs, cradling Trowa, while Shinji, sitting on the floor beside her, tickled and entertained both mother and son. Asuka lay back on one of the longer lounges with her feet up, feeding Misato, while Faramir wandered around the room half bouncing Danny and trying to burp him. The group was so comfortable that they felt more like a single family than two unrelated couples.  
  
"I love you." Shinji whispered to Rei. "You too munchken."  
  
Shinji tickled Trowa under the chin and he laughed, so did all the grownups.  
  
Misato, then Danny and finally Trowa yawned, making the cutest faces as they did.  
  
"I think we should get these little ones to bed." Faramir suggested ant the all moved out of the common room heading towards their own apartments.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Children In Middle Earth  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: Spoilers up till the eleventh Angel in Eva, no event spoilers for LotR.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings or Neon Genesis Evangelion. I would buy them but I am broke.  
  
Summary: The Eva pilots are transported into the world of Middle Earth and are looking for a way home, but some things have changed.  
  
AN: Just to clarify in this I am ignoring the whole 'Rei is a clone' thing. She is the original and she bears no relation to Shinji whatsoever.  
  
AN2: Another clarification, the events in this story occur between the great birthday party of Bilbo and Frodo and the beginning of the actual quest, when Frodo leaves the Shire, as described in The Fellowship of the Ring book, a period of 17 years. The Children arrive in ME three years after the party.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Can I hold her, Aunty Rei?" Danny asked.  
  
Rei looked down at the two and a half year old then at her six month old daughter.  
  
"Alright, Danny. But be careful and remember to support her head." Rei said, handing young Yui over to the boy, carefully keeping an eye on him.  
  
The three older children had taken instantly to Yui. It was not uncommon to see one of the two and a half year olds standing watch over Yui's slumbering form. They would take ten minute shifts during Yui's midday nap. It was actually quite adorable to behold and they emulated the sentries they saw around the citadel, which boded well for their future in this generational war. If Yui fussed or anything was wrong, one of the children who was not standing the post would be sent off to find Shinji or Rei, or if they were unavailable, Asuka or Faramir.  
  
While raising their children, the two couples had not gone on any major campaigns, or many scouting missions across the river, in the Ithilien. They had spent most of their time in Minas Tirith, either looking through books from the library or learning the other elements of leadership besides the military aspect. This instruction ranged from politics and diplomatic relations with neighbours to agricultural production and industrial priorities. Whenever not in instruction, they would spend a lot of time with the children, even when reading the books to get them home.  
  
Despite this they still manage to get time to train, both themselves and their troops, who had been put under their most experienced and talented officer, and talk with the armour and weapon smiths along with other tradesmen and women who supplied their troops with needed supplies.  
  
********  
  
Shinji blocked the overhand blow from his opponent, delivering a kick to the stomach of his adversary sending him sprawling. Shinji slipped into a guard position and glanced over his shoulder to Rei. Rei had blocked her opponent's attack with her knives, trapping the attacking blade between her two, and delivered a quick kick between the man's legs, causing him to drop to the ground in pain.  
  
The next wave was approaching the married couple when a shout ripped through everyone's consciousness.  
  
"Aunty Rei, Aunty Rei. There's something wrong with Yui." Danny screamed as her ran into the training yard as fast as his six year old legs would carry him.  
  
Shinji and Rei quickly dismissed the Ranger's who had participated in the demonstration and the new recruits who were in awe that the couple in their late thirties, about thirty eight, could take out twelve Rangers, expecting more to come.  
  
They ran into their living quarters, and raced to the side of their four year old daughter. Samantha, the children's nurse, was worriedly fussing and trying to keep Danny, Misato and Trowa out of the way. Shinji checked over Yui, as did a very worried Rei, while Misato and Trowa clung to each other as if it was the end of the world. Danny just stood there with a look of absolute despair on his face, he was the one who had formed the closest bond to Yui out of the children. They told each other everything.  
  
"She's running a bad fever. We need to get a healer here." Rei said.  
  
"Faramir! Get a Healer, quick." Shinji called when he saw his best friend and almost brother passing the room in the hallway.  
  
Faramir took one look in the room before running to find a Healer.  
  
********  
  
Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Faramir, Samantha, Trowa, Misato and Danny stood watching the tiny casket lower into the ground. Most of the citadel's guards had also shown up, including Boromir and Denethor, Faramir's brother and father respectively, but they stood a short distance from the grieving extended family.  
  
Yui had fought for over three months, writhing in agony as the heat of the fever alternated with amazingly intense cold spells while her body slowly rebelled and began to consume itself. In the end, it had not been whatever was ailing Yui that had caused her death; she had simply given up on living, just wanting to end the pain.  
  
Her death had affected the entire keep, as everyone knew Yui and saw in her, and the other children, the families that they had and were willing to die to protect. No one was affected more that Shinji, Rei and, surprisingly, Danny. Danny remembered when she had died, as he was the only one present at the time. Yui had gathered them all together to say goodbye and it had been a sombre affair but she had wanted to say goodbye to Danny alone.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"I'm sorry Danny." Yui said, her voice weak.  
  
"Why are you sorry, Yui?" Danny replied, his voice a whisper.  
  
"I'm sorry that I'm leaving you. Now you won't have anyone to tell you secrets to." Yui said, giving her sly grin that indicated that she had been teasing Danny, before breaking down into a coughing fit.  
  
"You know what, Yui. I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that you will never get to grow up and marry the man of your dreams." Danny said.  
  
"Is that a proposal? I didn't know you cared so much." Yui said, laughing softly but looking pale.  
  
Danny took a second to realise that she was serious, that he was the man of her dreams.  
  
"I would say it was, but you're mother would skin me like a rabbit." Danny said.  
  
They both laughed until Yui started coughing again. Danny began to rise to get someone, but Yui stopped him.  
  
"Just stay with me till I go." She pleaded.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Twenty minutes later, Yui's hand slipped out of Danny's and her eyes stared sightlessly. Danny gently closed her eyelids with his fingers and broke down crying.  
  
Shinji's hand on his shoulder broke Danny out of his memory as he was lead away from Yui's grave.  
  
"Does it ever get easier?" Danny asked quietly.  
  
"The pain will fade, slowly but it will fade. You will never forget her, but you will eventually move on, carrying her in you heart." Shinji said, knowing way too much about this for his own comfort.  
  
"This is the worst time of my life." Danny said.  
  
"Mine too. No parent should ever have to outlive their child." Shinji said, leading Danny back to the Citadel.  
  
********  
  
The death of Yui Ikari was still hard to deal with, even almost four years after the event. For a long time, Rei had retreated to her old personality from Tokyo 3, quiet, introspective and hardly talking to anyone. It had finally been Shinji, who had taken Yui's death very hard himself, who had snapped her out of it and gotten Rei to talk about it, as it had been eating her up inside. Asuka had taken her grief out on the Orcs, performing some almost suicidal attacks when they had been on patrol, on one occasion she had completely abandoned her shield and had grabbed a second sword, wading through the largest concentration of Orcs and trying to do as much damage as possible with no regard for her own life.  
  
Faramir, like Shinji, had grieved alone, letting the pain flow through and then wash out of them and then had proceeded to curb Asuka's suicidal behaviour. Trowa and Misato had clung to each other for emotional support more and more, but while they became closer to each other, they drifted further from Danny. Danny, totally alone in his grief for the girl he cared for most in the world who was also his best friend, had brooded for months, then he had taken up a sword and begun training. He trained every day, every waking hour, it was if he could keep the death of his loved ones at bay with the point of a sword.  
  
Shinji looked out over the city, the pain in his heart still present but dulled by time and fogged by memory. It was almost time, he could feel it, and he knew that Rei and Asuka could feel it too. They were going home soon.  
  
'Ironic really. We've been here for fourteen years.' He thought as he turned away from the window.  
  
They had felt the pull for the last two days, and it was only a matter of hours before they would be gone. All the goodbyes had been said, with the pain and sorrow of parting. Shinji joined Asuka and Rei in their common room, and they made their way out of the back of the Citadel into the mountain pass behind Minas Tirith. They had left all their belongings in their rooms, knowing that they would not have them on the other side, even if they took them. The arrangements had been made for distributing their belongings. As they walked they spotted a small goat trail coming off the pass trail, which they followed to a small clearing. After a short wait, the mysterious lighting appeared, flashing pain through their bodies, like a physical manifestation of the emotional pain of their leaving, then the world disappeared in a blinding light.  
  
********  
  
Far to the North West, four young Hobbits were walking towards the Village of Bree, not knowing the dangers and adventures that were to face them.  
  
********  
  
Crossing the River Isen, his horse splashing in the running water, Boromir road with purpose. He had to reach Rivendell, he had to find out the meaning of his dream. What is Isildur's Bane?  
  
********  
  
Sitting in one of the many hidden caves in the Ithilien, Faramir silently mourned the loss of the love of his life, silently cursing war, the one she fought that made her go, and the one they had fought that made his miss her final parting from this world. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as his heart broke.  
  
********  
  
Misato, Trowa, Danny and Samantha, their nurse, rode south in the cart with their possessions. Shinji, Rei and Asuka had always prepared them for this day, the day that they would not be around. The family would settle in a small village, Trowa and Misato would marry, as would Danny and a local girl he would grow to love as much as he did Yui. As generations passed, the Ikari-Soyru family would prosper and eventually become one of the oldest and most respected families in the area. Family legend would tell of their ancestors who came to a city in the midst of war, and gave the people hope for a better tomorrow.  
  
The End. 


End file.
